What to focus on while you read
Jurisdiction over disputes and FIFA's competence/enforcement powers
Article 20 splits dispute jurisdiction between the Agents Chamber (international dimension) and national decision-making bodies (no international dimension). Article 21 allocates FIFA Disciplinary/Ethics competence for international-dimension cases and member-association competence for national ones.
Key points
- Agents Chamber jurisdiction requires a Representation Agreement with an international dimension, a claim lodged under the Football Tribunal procedural rules, and no more than two years from the event giving rise to the dispute.
- For Representation Agreements without an international dimension, the decision-making body identified in the relevant national football agent regulations has jurisdiction.
- Parties retain the right to seek redress before an ordinary court of law.
- FIFA Disciplinary Committee and, where relevant, the independent Ethics Committee may sanction Football Agents or Clients for FFAR and related FIFA-rule breaches in international-dimension cases.
- Member associations sanction breaches of national football agent regulations for national-dimension conduct.
Exam traps
- Sending domestic (no international dimension) Representation Agreement disputes to the Agents Chamber by default.
- Claiming mediation or member-association process waives the two-year Agents Chamber time limit.
- Assigning international-dimension Representation Agreement violations exclusively to the member association.
Unit outline
Article 20: Jurisdiction
Article 21: Competence and enforcement